On Friday, when I was at The Mint Killer’s place picking up my half of our CSA share, she offered me some of her bounty. “Maybe I’ll make mojitos,” I said.

“Absolutely,” she said.

The arrival of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows just after my parents headed off on their further journey today set me up for the opportunity to sit on the front porch, under the magnolia tree, enjoying a very Happy Hour. It seemed only right to put The Mint Killer’s mint to good use in a drinkable way.

Please note: I have in reserve the best-ever mojito recipe for a crowd, courtesy of my cousin in Grand Junction, but this is the recipe I would recommend when, you know, a whole pitcher is totally inappropriate.

Place the mint leaves in the bottom of a highball glass. Add the sugar.

Squeeze the half-lime into the glass, then slice the lime into smaller pieces and drop them in on top of the mint-lime juice-sugar mixture.

Using a pestle (I’ve heard of people using the back of a spoon, but I’ve not gotten good results that way…), muddle (not muggle) the mixture together. In layman’s terms, that means to take the pestle and give it a good smooshing until everything is mixed together and smelling minty-lime-like.

Add ice to fill the glass. If you have crushed ice, that’s more authentic. If you just have ginormous cubes like me, they work just fine.

Fill the glass up a quarter of the way with the rum. Top off with soda water and stir.

i myself love a good mojito anytime, but now that i seem to be swimming in mint (really, how can that be???) i’ve turned by tastes to mint tea. i usually start mojito style, but when i get to the part about adding rum, i go for honey water instead. and maybe a few bits of fresh ginger and dried lavendar too. and then let the whole thing steep overnite in the fridge. it’s good straight up — or with a little addition if you know what i mean…

the mint patch is always avaialble for plucking at my house, whenever you need a hit — or trying to dodge voldemort.

Mojitos happen to be one of my favorite drinks. Nothing but a really good ice cold beer can beat it when it’s hot out.
I take the bottom of a martini shaker and add crushed ice and mint, then I smash it with the pestle. I then add simple syrup (which I keep in my refrigerator) lime juice and 2 oz rum. I dump it all in a glass and top it off with soda water.
Enjoy your book. My boys and I have yet to buy it.

Who the … is Harry Potter? 2 years ago I must buy the British version in Scotland, but I now I wait until the German translation and my son has read it. Meanwhile I have plenty of time to mix some mojitos ;-)

Harry Potter and mojitos…now we know what it takes for me to finally leave a comment. No gardening was done at my house this weekend as I had my nose in the book for 9 hours on Sunday. Thanks for the single serve recipe – is your cousin’s recipe a proportionately expanded version of the same, or other? I’ve been on the lookout for a multi-serving recipe for an upcoming family gathering.

Mint Killer–I will vouch that your tea rules. It’s definitely good stuff, particularly with the addition of, you know, something additional. And thank you for the open access to the mint patch! I’m always happy to help.

Chigiy–I like your mojito stylings — I haven’t used my shaker for them yet, but that’s a great idea.

Jackie–Thanks! I definitely took a good break over the weekend while I pounded out the reading.

Chocolate Lady–It was a very, very good evening.

Ulrike–Ah…having to wait for the translation…that’s cruel!

Erin–My cousin’s recipe is totally different, but if you email me, I’d be willing to share it with you off the blog. The rest of you folks will have to wait for another opportunity for me to share it with the world!

I really need a recipe for bulk mojitos. I am hosting a graduation (college) party for my son and his girlfried and have promised mojitos.

I recently had an Asian Pear Mojito at P F Chang’s. Found out that the “secret” ingredients are pineapple juice and apple pucker. Have not nailed down the measurements but the bartender gave the these guidelines.

I have discovered that you need about twice as much pineapple juice as apple pucker. I use more Sprite instead of any soda water.
and just a tiny bit of brown sugar to muddle the mint leaves in a shaker before adding ice and other ingredients.